Middle East








Energy Markets

Oil & Gas

Oil & Gas

Trade talks and US data have helped most Gulf markets to gain an advantage over the US.

The major Gulf stock markets rose early on Tuesday, ahead of U.S. data on inflation due later that day. This indicates investors' positive outlook for talks between Washington and major trading partner countries. After threatening to impose 30% tariffs on imports from Mexico and the European Union from August 1, U.S. president Donald Trump indicated he would be open to discussion on tariffs. The Yomiuri reported that the Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Shiba is planning to meet with U.S. Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent this Friday. Investors will also be watching for U.S. consumer prices for June due Tuesday. They are...

Oil & Gas

Marshall Islands drop fossil fuels as focus of UN climate change motion

The U.N. Human Rights Council adopted a motion Tuesday on climate change, human rights and the Marshall Islands retracted a divisive amendement that asked states to commit to a phased-out fossil fuels. The motion calling for countries to "contribute to global efforts" to combat climate change was passed by consensus. This follows the 2021 council recognition of access to a healthy and clean environment as a right. The original language had revealed divisions amongst the 47 members, after the Marshall Islands, which is one of the most vulnerable countries to rising sea levels and has made an amendment to it...

Oil & Gas

Platts to change benchmark Dubai oil prices in 2026

S&P Global Platts announced on Tuesday that it would be changing the pricing mechanism of United Arab Emirates Murban crude oil in the Dubai benchmark oil from 2026, to better reflect the market dynamics. In a document posted on its website, the price-reporting organization said that the Abu Dhabi grade should be priced at a level above or below Dubai and other grades of medium-sour in the basket. Currently, a premium has been applied to the light-sour Murban in order to reflect its superior quality compared to other medium-sour grade - Dubai Oman Upper Zakum, and al-Shaheen - which can...

Oil & Gas

Austrian OMV gains $141 million in profits from Borouge and Borealis merger during Q2

The Austrian energy company OMV said that the Borouge-Borealis merge will have a positive impact of 120 million euro ($140.8) on its operating result for the second quarter before special effects. This was part of an update to trading on Tuesday. After almost two years of negotiation, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and OMV decided in March to combine their polyolefin business to create Borouge Group, a chemicals powerhouse with a $60 Billion enterprise value. OMV said that it also expected to take a 400-million-euro hit on its operating cash flow adjusted from Romania and Norway, compared with the first...

Oil & Gas

Sources say that OPEC will complete the voluntary reduction in oil production cut in September.

Five sources claim that OPEC+ producers will approve a big increase in output for September, as they finish unwinding the voluntary output cuts of eight members. They will also allow the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to pump more oil to meet a higher quota. In April, plans to undo cuts of 2,17 million barrels of oil per day (bpd), began with an increase of 138,000 bpd. In May, June, and July, the increase was 411,000 barrels per day (bpd), despite lower oil prices. The group voted on Saturday to approve a 548,000-bpd increase for August. On Monday, five sources familiar...

Oil & Gas

Saudi Arabia increases Aug Arab Light crude oil OSP for Asia to the highest level in four months

Saudi Arabia raised its official selling price of its flagship Arab Light crude to Asia in August by $2.20 over the Oman/Dubai median, according to a pricing document published on Sunday by Saudi oil giant Aramco. The price of Arab Light in August is $1 higher than the price in July and the highest price since April when it was $3.50 more expensive than the average price for Oman/Dubai. Documents show that the Gulf Kingdom set its official August Arab Light selling price for Northwest Europe at $4.65 over ICE Brent, and the U.S. market at $3.90 over ASCI. The...

Oil Refineries

Russian seaborne diesel exports fall in June, data shows

According to LSEG data and market sources, the volume of Russian seaborne gasoil and diesel exports dropped by 6% in June on a month-to-month basis. This was due to refinery maintenance. Shipping data shows that last month, the two main importers of Russian gasoil and diesel were Turkey and Brazil. Exports of diesel and gasoil from Russian ports to Turkey increased in June by 15%, a month-on-month increase, while those to Brazil dropped by 33% from May, to just 0.47 million tonnes, after a previous influx. Shipping data revealed that Russia's diesel and gasoil sales to African countries in June...

Oil & Gas

Oil prices remain unchanged as OPEC+ increases weigh on the market

The price of oil futures was little changed on Tuesday as the markets considered the expectations for more supply next month from major producers, a weaker U.S. Dollar and a mix bag of economic indicators and market indicators coming from the U.S. Brent crude rose 2 cents to $67.13 a bar at 0345 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude fell 1 cent, down to $65.44 a bar. Brent oil has fluctuated between a high and a low of $69.05 per barrel since June 25. This is because concerns about supply disruptions have diminished following the ceasefire agreement between Iran...

Oil & Gas

The price of oil has fallen on the back of OPEC+'s increased supply and tariff worries

The oil prices fell on Tuesday due to expectations that OPEC+ will increase their output in August, and fears of a slowdown in the economy caused by higher U.S. Tariffs. Brent crude dropped 30 cents or 0.5% to $66.44 per barrel at 0430 GMT. U.S. West Texas intermediate crude also fell 33 cents or 0.5% to $64.78 per barrel. Daniel Hynes, senior commodity strategist at ANZ, said in a recent note that "the market is concerned the OPEC+ will continue its accelerated pace of output increases". Four OPEC+ source told us last week that they plan to increase output by...

Power Markets

Senior military official: Houthis in Yemen are likely to pose a persistent problem for the US

A senior U.S. official stated on Tuesday that Yemen's Iran aligned Houthi group will be a persistent issue for the U.S. even after Washington reached an agreement with the Houthis last month, ending a U.S. aerial campaign against the group. Air Force Lieutenant-General Alexus Grynkewich told lawmakers that the Houthis will likely be a persistent issue... with which we'll have to deal in the future. Grynkewich was nominated as the new commander of U.S. Military's European Command. Last month, Donald Trump announced that the U.S. was ceasing to bomb the Houthis who were firing on U.S. warships, as well as...

Natural Gas Utilities

Prices of EUROPE GAS have fallen by over 10% following the news that Iran and Israel had reached a ceasefire

The wholesale gas price in the Netherlands and Britain fell by more than 10% Tuesday morning, following the news that Iran had agreed to a ceasefire with Israel. This removed the premium for risk the market had built into the market due to potential disruptions of oil and gas supplies. The benchmark Dutch front month contract at the TTF Hub fell by 4.86 euro to 36.38 Euros per Megawatt Hour (MWh), which is $12.38/mmBtu by 0939 GMT. It had traded as low 35.45 Euros/MWh earlier, LSEG's data showed. The British front-month contracts was down 13.72 pennies at 84.85 cents per...

Oil & Gas

Egypt wants more fuel oil in August to power its electricity generation

Five trading sources said that Egypt wants to buy more fuel oil in order to meet its electricity generation needs. Fuel oil has been purchased in greater quantities by the country this year to ease a gas shortage that resulted from the loss of gas pipelines connecting Israel and Egypt. According to trading sources, the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation is looking for about 900,000.0 metric tons (tonnage) of fuel oil in its latest tender. One source said that the tender will be closed on July 2, and valid until July 10. The Egyptian Petroleum Ministry didn't immediately respond to an...

Fossil Fuels

Fossil Fuels

Saudi Arabia's annual inflation rate accelerated to 2.3% in July

The government reported on Tuesday that the inflation rate in Saudi Arabia increased to 2.3% from 2.2% last month. Since the start of this year, inflation has been mainly driven up by increases in housing rents. In June of last year, it was 1.5%. The General Authority for Statistics reported that the increase in rents for housing was due to a 7.1% rise in villa prices. The housing sector was responsible for the majority of the price increases in the category combined housing, water and electricity, gas, and other fuels. Last month, the Saudi government announced measures to balance Riyadh’s...

Fossil Fuels

Energy ministry: Saudi Arabia has fully met its voluntary OPEC+ targets

Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry said Friday that the Kingdom had fully complied with its voluntary OPEC+ production target. It added that Saudi marketed crude supplies in June were 9.352 millions barrels per daily, in accordance with the agreed quota. This statement comes after a report by the International Energy Agency this month, which stated that Saudi Arabia had exceeded its oil production target for June by 4,300.000 barrels and reached 9,8 million barrels compared to the implied OPEC+ goal of 9.37 millions bpd. Saudi Arabia, the driving force behind this decision, decided that OPEC+ would stop using IEA statistics in...

Fossil Fuels

Emirates Global Aluminium claims Guinea terminated the deal in error

Emirates Global Aluminium announced on Wednesday that Guinean authorities had terminated a contract with its subsidiary Guinea Alumina Corporation after a dispute lasting a year over the construction of alumina refinery. Guinea's military regime GAC has suspended its bauxite West Africa's militarized states are increasingly focusing on exports and mining as part of their increasing aggressive They are also pushing to get more out of their natural resources. The junta that took power in 2021 is the second largest producer of bauxite ore, which is used to make aluminum. The miners demanded to be paid Present plans to build refineries...

Crude Oil

Refined Products

Refined Products

Oil prices drop as the market considers possible sanctions and tariffs

Oil prices fell on Tuesday, as investors digested U.S. president Donald Trump's deadline of 50 days for Russia to end its war in Ukraine and avoid sanctions against buyers of their oil. Meanwhile, concerns over Trump's tariffs on trade continued to linger. Brent crude futures dropped 5 cents, to $69.16 per barrel, by 0000 GMT. U.S. West Texas intermediate crude futures were down to $66.69, a 9-cent drop. The two contracts were settled at a lower price than the previous session. Trump announced on Monday new weapons for Ukraine and threatened sanctions against buyers of Russian exports, unless Moscow agreed...

Refined Products

IEA: World oil market tighter than looks

International Energy Agency (IEA) said Friday that the world oil market could be tighter than appears, despite an apparent surplus in supply and demand, as refineries increase processing to meet summer demand. The IEA (which advises industrialised nations) expects the global supply to increase by 2.1 millions barrels per day in this year. This is an increase of 300,000 bpd over its previous forecast. The IEA said that world demand would only rise by 700,000 barrels per day, suggesting a large surplus. Despite these changes, the IEA stated that the tightening market was due to the OPEC+'s latest supply increase...

Refined Products

UAE ready to boost oil production if market demand arises

United Arab Emirates' energy minister stated on Thursday that the country could increase its oil production after 2027, if the market demands it. This move could push the country into the top five oil producing countries in the world. OPEC granted the UAE a larger production quota for this year. The country argued that it was restricting too much its output after investing heavily to increase capacity from 3 million barrels to 4,85 million. Suhail Mohamed al-Mazrouei, Energy Minister of the country, told reporters that capacity could increase further after 2027. He said that if the market demanded it, they...

Refined Products

Oil falls as OPEC+ increases August output more than anticipated

The oil price dropped more than 1% Monday, after OPEC+ surprised the markets by increasing output more than anticipated in August. This raised concerns about an oversupply. Brent crude futures dropped 80 cents or 1.2% to $67.50 per barrel at 0010 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude was $65.68, which is down $1.32 or 2%. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC+) and its allies agreed to increase production in August by 548,000 barrels a day. Tim Evans, of Evans Energy, said in a report that "the increased production clearly represents an aggressive competition for market shares and some...

Refined Products

Iran commits to nuclear treaty, oil falls

Oil futures dropped on Friday as Iran reaffirmed their commitment to non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and amid expectations major producers will agree to increase their output this weekend. Brent crude futures fell 22 cents or 0.32% to $68.58 a barge by 0445 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude dropped 12 cents or 0.18% to $66.88. The U.S. Independence Day is a holiday. The U.S. news site Axios reported Thursday that the U.S. planned to meet with Iran to restart nuclear talks next week, while Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated that Tehran remains committed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The threat...

Refined Products

Oil prices ease on US tariffs and OPEC+ production expectations

The oil prices dropped slightly on Thursday, as concerns about the possible reinstatement of U.S. Tariffs raised doubts over demand in advance of an anticipated supply boost from major producers. Brent crude futures dropped 34 cents or 0.49% to $68.77 per barrel at 1326 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude fell 31 cents or 0.46% to $67.14. The two contracts reached their highest levels in a week on Wednesday, as the oil producer Iran halted cooperation with the U.N. Nuclear Watchdog. This heightened concerns that the long-running dispute over Iran's nuclear program could once again escalate into an armed conflict....

Refined Products

Kpler data show that Saudi Arabia increased crude exports to the United States in June.

Saudi Arabian oil exports reached their highest level in over a year during June, as the country shipped more crude into overseas storage amid fears that supply disruptions could be caused by conflict in the Middle East. OPEC’s largest producer has intervened on oil markets since decades ago to supply more oil when there are disruptions in the market or reduce output when they feel that the market is oversupplied. Kpler data show that crude exports increased by 450,000 barrels a day (bpd), from the level of May to 6.33 millions bpd, in June. Kpler predicts that there could be...

Refined Products

Oil reaches five-month high following US attack on key Iranian nuclear sites

The oil prices rose on Monday, reaching their highest level since January. This was due to the United States joining Israel to attack Iran's nuclear sites. Brent crude futures were up $1.92, or 2.49%, at $78.93 per barrel as of 17:00 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude advanced $1.89, or 2.56%, to $75.73. The two contracts had risen by over 3% in the previous session, to $81.40, and $78.40 respectively. They reached five-month highs, before giving back some of their gains. Prices rose after U.S. president Donald Trump announced that he had "obliterated", Iran's nuclear sites with strikes last weekend....

Refined Products

Oil prices fall as investors consider the possibility of US intervention in Iran/Israel conflict

Oil prices fell on Thursday, as investors were hesitant to make new investments after U.S. president Donald Trump's mixed signals about the country's possible involvement in the ongoing Israel/Iran conflict. Brent crude futures dropped 37 cents or 0.48% to $76.33 per barrel at 0110 GMT, after rising 0.3% during the previous session, which was marked by high price volatility. Prices fell as much as 2.7%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate Crude for July dropped 28 cents or 0.37%, to $74.86 per barrel. It had risen 0.4% the previous month despite a drop of up to 2.4%. The August contract, which is...

Oil Refineries

China builds up a crude-oil war chest amid Middle East tensions, says Russell

China continues to accumulate crude oil stocks, despite the fact that it refines less crude oil than it can produce or import. The world's largest oil importer can now buy less in the coming months, as prices rise due to Middle East tensions. Calculations based on data from the Chinese government show that the surplus crude in China reached 1.4 million barrels a day (bpd), the third consecutive month where it was above the 1,000,000 bpd mark. Since June 13, when Israel launched airstrikes against Iran, Tehran has responded with missiles and drones. Brent futures have risen almost 6% in...

Refined Products

China builds up a crude-oil war chest amid Middle East tensions, says Russell

China continues to accumulate crude oil stocks, despite the fact that it refines less crude oil than it can produce or import. The world's largest oil importer can now buy less in the coming months, as prices rise due to Middle East tensions. Calculations based on data from the Chinese government show that the surplus crude in China reached 1.4 million barrels a day (bpd), the third consecutive month where it was above the 1,000,000 bpd mark. Since June 13, when Israel launched airstrikes against Iran, Tehran has responded with missiles and drones. Brent futures have risen almost 6% in...

Refined Products

Fears of supply disruption are driving up oil prices as a result of the Israel-Iran conflict

Early Asian trade on Monday saw oil prices rise after Israel and Iran launched new attacks on Sunday. This heightened fears of escalating conflict that could lead to a wider regional conflict, and disrupt Middle East oil exports. Brent crude futures rose $1.70 or 2.3% to $75.93 per barrel at 2253 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures gained $2.02 or 2.2% to $74.60. They were up more than $4 in the earlier part of the session. Both benchmarks closed 7% higher Friday after a session that saw them surge more than 13% to their highest level since January. Both militaries...